A few more images form the arctic.

Roller Skates

A little Kaveolook fun fact: yes, Kaktovik is an extremely remote village where milk can cost over $10 a gallon but when it comes to the essentials in life, such as elementary sized roller skates, the town is not found without. I walked into the gym on Friday only to find the K3-K class buzzing around (soooo cute....) on a roller skate mat course made of gymnasium mats and cardboard, a friendly landing to beginners. Who would have thought...

Trip Reflections

First of all I would like to thank Kaveolook School for hosting me and the guidance and generosity provided by the Gadamus family. The rural practicum was definitely one of the best experiences during my yearlong student internships. I appreciate the opportunity to visit rural community in Alaska provided by my multicultural education professor, Uta Kaden.

Within three weeks I traveled from Fairbanks to Houston to San Pedro, Belize back to Fairbanks and up to Kaktovik. I think my wonder at the beauty and hostility of the arctic was even more impressive juxtaposed to life on a tropical island thousands of miles away but with about the same size and population as Barter Island.


I have been interested in working in rural Alaska throughout the process of my State teaching certification and I was excited to spend time in a village to see if I would still feel that way after visiting Kaktovik. I discovered that I don’t think that I would be able to live in an area that was as physically demanding as the arctic and that if I was to live in a rural community, I should choose an area where I felt I could comfortably enjoy the outdoors. From learning about and seeing the extreme turnover rate of teachers and staff and the impact on the students I would also decide to work in a community only if I felt that I could make a serious time commitment, six or more years, to staying in that area.

Friday

On Friday morning I awoke to howling winds and looked out the classroom to see a complete whiteout. By 10 I was certain that Anneli and I would not be traveling home. The school day went similarly to the rest of the week. I help substitute for the 6th-8th grade class which was mainly supervising and getting the T.V. and VCR to work. Time hanging out with the students gave me an opportunity to chat with some of the girls about their life. I was surprised at the amount of traveling all of the students had done. Many of the students had friends and family across the state that they seemed to visit frequently. A group of the girls and I pulled out a map of the world and talked about where each of us had traveled and they would like to visit.

By the end of the day the island had miraculously calmed and Anneli and I rushed to get to the plane in time for our quick flight back to Fairbanks.

Thursday

This was the first day I worked individually with some high school students preparing for statewide testing. The focus of the tutoring was on adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and simplifying fractions. Essentially I sat will a small group of high school boys and creating problems one by one and worked through them with the students. The rest of the say was spent bouncing from room to room, wherever I could assist teachers.

Weekday Photos

Images include: a snapshot of the school library, Amanda out on a snow machine, Amanda, Anneli, & Flora with the new school mural, and two of the lovely lunch ladies in the school cafeteria.

Tuesday

Checking out some carved baleen at Waldo's, one of the two restaurants.












Amanda, Julia, and the Gadamus' out for burgers, holding a whale gun.
Tuesday I worked with the 6^th-8^th grade class to work individually with students who were generally disruptive and significantly behind. I also worked on vocabulary with the 4^th and 5^th grade students which involved playing vocabulary guessing games and spelling. I also spent time throughout the day working with the kindergartners and 1^st grade students working individually on reading and writing skills. Although there is a very low student to teacher ratio the range abilities in each particular class is incredible. After the experience being in very small classrooms, I can definitely see the appeal of being able to work in a small classroom intensively with a few students, however now I know that fewer students definitely does not mean less work or planning.

Anneli and I have been working out at the school gym weight room in out free time. Most of the older kids and other residents are also in the gym playing basketball in the evening. One of the major threats for students during school is to be put on the ‘night rec list,’ which means they cannot come to gym in the evening.

Monday Madness

On Monday I worked with many different levels of students. At the start of the day I observed a preschool class and then a presentation by Julia, a PhD student from UAF who presented her travels and life in Germany. In the afternoon I was the substitute teacher for the 4th and 5th grade students and taught them their math lesson for the day. I also observed Anneli Gadamus’ lesson with the 1st-3rd grade students who began a school mural. I also attended after school guitar lessons with about six other elementary school children.

Kaveolook School had many surprise visits including a school physiologist and a nurse practitioner, and also absent teachers. In a school as small as Kaveolook, approximately 54 students, any change requires all of the staff in the school to be extremely flexible. I think that teachers are constantly asked to teach and perform duties in the school both out of their field of study, experience, and comfort level.

Weekend Photos

A view of the Brooks Range from the plane flight from Fairbanks to Kaktovik.

A polar bear hide drying outside. March is one of the 'bleaching' months.

Standing in front of the largest local grocery store in town.


A seal fur mitten marking the place of a lucky number at a weekend Cake Walk fundraiser.

Rural Community and School

Kaktovik is a rural village on the coast of the Arctic Ocean and is located on Barter Island. The population of the community is approximately 260 and majority of the residents are Inupiat Eskimos. The island was historically a major trade center for the Inupiat and was a traditional fishing location. Kaktovik means 'Siening Place' and was desired for the water available in a large freshwater pond that is still used by small elders as a water source. Barter Island did not become a permanent village until the 1950’s. Although modern amenities are now available the people still hunt for caribou and whale which are a main food staple. Kaktovik is home to the Howard Kaveolook Rams which is a preschool through 12th grade school and includes a shop, basketball court, and a small pool. Recently Kaktovik has become of national interest because the Island lies in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The City of Kaktovik seems to stay in a neutral position on the topic and the possibility of drilling in the area.

Expectations and Preparations

I will be leaving for Kaktovik on March 19, 2010 for a week to observe the local school and experience life in rural arctic Alaska. Anneli Gadamus and I will fly directly from Fairbanks to Kaktovik and will be picked up by her family or the plant manager at the runway once we arrive. I will be packing lots of warms clothes for walking outside and snow machining because I suspect the weather will still be between -30 and 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of March. Even though I was raised in Alaska, I have only traveled on the road system of Alaska and have mostly explored South Central Alaska. My goals for visiting Kaktovik will be to learn more about life in the Arctic, life in a small rural village, and how school systems operate in small villages. I’m interested in how classes will operate with multiple skill and age levels and how the teachers at Kaveolook differentiate for each student.